For most college freshmen, the day of May 1 was spent sitting through lectures. Redwood graduate Lily Christensen, on the other hand, spent the day celebrating the Scottish tradition of running into the icy North Sea at four in the morning.

The ‘May Dip’ is just one of the ways Christensen has been able to experience international cultures this year. Her decision to attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland has enabled her to stray from the traditional American college experience and follow a path all her own.
Christensen is only one out of a handful of her peers who chose a more unique way of life after high school, whether traveling to a foreign country or joining the armed forces. A year later, many of those same alumni couldn’t be happier.
“This place is so special,” Christensen said. “Going to school abroad has given me a completely different take on world issues and expanded my preconceived notions about the world around me. It truly is an amazing place that can’t be found anywhere else and I wouldn’t trade my experiences here for anything.”
Those among Christensen in their decision to lead an unusual lifestyle after graduation are Hugo Palmeira and Mike Mindham. Palmeira chose to defer from college in order visit family in Brazil, while Mindham decided to pursue his dream of becoming a United States Marine.
Palmeira’s decision to chose experience over education led to a  foreign setting for his first year out of high school
“Initially I had planned to help my grandmother rebuild her house up North in Brazil,” he said. “However, we sold that house, moved my grandmother out of there and in the meantime, I was with my father down South in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.”
According to Palmeira, his decision to take a year off stemmed from his desire to see more of his family.
 “College would be another four years of work and then I would get my Bachelors-Associate or Masters which would literally hold me down for the next 10 or so years,” he said. “So when would I ever get another chance to go take four months off and see my family who I already hadn’t seen in three years?”
Despite taking the time off from school, Palmeira is confident his decision only advanced his academic career.
“I didn’t think I was quite in the right mindset for entering college right after graduating from Redwood,” he said. “I needed to leave Marin and set my mind right and see where I really wanted to go in life and what I wanted to do. I can proudly say that I don’t regret what I did at all.”
As far as future plans go, Palmeira hopes to transfer to Berkeley City College and then eventually move on to UC Berkeley in about two years time.
“I would recommend a semester off to any seniors who have the slightest bit of doubt whether or not they really want to go to college right away,” Palmeira said. “Being at College of Marin this semester I saw way too many people that I graduated with who washed up on COM’s shores because they couldn’t keep up academically or screwed up in some other way. I think taking that semester off was the best thing I did.”
Class of 2009 graduate Mike Mindham also chose a unique way to spend his first year out of high school, he began training to join the armed forces.
“I’ve wanted to join the military since the fourth grade,” said Mindham. “I think it’s a great thing to serve your country. It also helps you find out what your good at and it opens a lot of doors later in life.”
Mindham has been a part of a military training program in San Rafael for the past year, preparing to sign a contract and attend camp in San Diego.
According to Mindham, training has improved his life far beyond his physical health.
“I wish I knew about this program when I was still in high school, it probably would have improved my grades,” he said. “Training isn’t all about workouts and traditional military stuff, after you’ve been doing it for a long time you get a whole new outlook on life.”
Christensen’s own experience has also offered her a new outlook on the world around her, as well as expanding her opportunities in her fields of choice.
For the past year, Christensen has been studying International Relations, Spanish and Sustainable Development, topics she has been interested in since high school.
According to her, St. Andrews has met both her academic and personal requirements for college.
“I did a huge amount of research about schools around the U.S. and no school clicked with who I was and what I wanted,” she said. “During a college fair in San Francisco I came upon the University of St. Andrews. From its 600 years of history and world-renowned academics to its fabulous location and affordable price, it just seemed like the best option for me. Not to mention all the opportunities to travel around Europe. This year alone I have been to England, Wales, Spain, and Germany.”
According to Christensen, the campus is beautiful as well as surprisingly affordable.
“It has the highest student satisfaction rating in the UK for a research university and the setting is so beautiful that I feel like I am living in a Harry Potter book,” she said. “My hall even looks like Gryffindor. The best news is that it is roughly the same price as attending UCLA excluding travel costs.”
As well as academic benefits, Christensen says there is usually something fun to do outside of the classroom.

“There seems to be fancy balls almost every weekend that are only a few pounds to attend,” said Christensen. “There are also plenty of excuses to get dressed up and go out all the time.”